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Report: Automakers Push To Outlaw Home Car Repairs

(Credit: GM)

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Report: Automakers Push To Outlaw Home Car Repairs

Chevrolet technician

Chevrolet technician (Credit: GM)

According to a report recently ran by Autoblog, in the future it could contrary to copyright law if car enthusiasts were to work on their own vehicles. Thanks to Auto Alliance, which is the big lobbying group that represents automakers in the U.S. the brave new world could crush shade tree mechanics nationwide.

The whole thing stems from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a piece of legislation that doesn’t seem to obviously prohibit people from fixing or modifying their own cars. According to Auto Alliance, when any third party tinkers with a vehicle’s ECU it’s “legally problematic.” After all, a kid who decides to tweak his ride’s ECU could through amateurish programming cause the brakes to become unresponsive or shut off all emissions controls.

It’s an unreal scenario, like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s really happening.

Thankfully the Electronic Frontier Foundation is advocating on behalf of car owners, saying that they should be exempt from the act. The group is arguing that it’s a long-held practice for people to repair and even modify their own vehicle. After all organizations like the NHTSA, which are created specifically to oversee vehicle safety on all roads, haven’t taken action to shut down owner repairs.

Instead of people personalizing their ride at home, automakers really want everyone to pay extra to have tweaks added in the factory or at the dealership, effectively cutting out aftermarket companies. Such a shift seems incomprehensible considering that the aftermarket vehicle customization is a humongous industry, not to mention is a part of the country’s social fabric.

Autoblog’s report points out one example of things that could come about. Ford sued Autel US Inc. for accessing systems in cars that allow access to diagnostic codes and repair info.

A final decision should come sometime in the middle of the summer. If Auto Alliance gets its way, the outcome would turn the automotive industry upside down.

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